FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 8th, 2022

‘HARDWOOD HERSTORY’ – NEW NBC SPORTS AUDIO PODCAST HOSTED BY ZORA STEPHENSON – FEATURING STORIES OF SIX WOMEN WHO CHANGED BASKETBALL AVAILABLE NOW

Hardwood HERstory Tells Stories of Women Who Have Significantly Transformed Basketball Across All Levels of the Sport

Oscar-Winning Filmmaker Ben Proudfoot Joins Stephenson on Debut Episode to Tell the Story of Three-Time College Basketball Champion and Olympic Pioneer Lusia “Lucy” Harris

NBC Sports Continues Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX with Cross-Platform Content

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 8, 2022 – The debut episode of Hardwood HERstory, a new NBC Sports Audio podcast hosted by Zora Stephenson, which tells the stories of six women across all levels of basketball who have changed the sport, is available now on all major podcast platforms.

Through interviews with these women, their families, and peers, Hardwood HERstory uncovers how the women have significantly impacted basketball for the better, often challenging gender limitations and inequities.

In the debut episode, Oscar-winning filmmaker Ben Proudfoot (“The Queen of Basketball”) joins Stephenson to tell the story of Lusia “Lucy” Harris, who led Delta State to three consecutive Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women National Championships (1975-77) and scored the first points in Olympic women’s basketball history as she helped Team USA to the silver medal in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Harris was also the first and only woman to ever be drafted into the NBA.

With new episodes dropping weekly, Stephenson will speak with and profile the stories of Ann Meyers Drysdale, the first player to be part of the U.S. National Team while still in high school, Dee Kantner, one of the first female referees in the NBA, Notre Dame head coach and former WNBA player Niele Ivey, Washington Mystics center Elizabeth Williams, and Allison Galer, Founder and President of Disrupt the Game.

Stephenson, who joined NBC Sports in 2021 and works across a wide range of properties, has extensive basketball reporting experience. She served as a basketball reporter for NBC Sports at the Tokyo Olympics last summer, and since 2019 she has been the sideline and digital reporter for Milwaukee Bucks games on Bally Sports/Fox Sports Wisconsin. In April 2021, she became the first woman to handle television play-by-play for a Bucks game. Stephenson is a graduate of Elon University, where she played basketball for four years (three-year starter).

“Highlighting the stories of athletes and individuals who have pushed equality and inclusivity forward in sports is important,” said Aileen Sokol, VP Content Partnership Development, NBC Sports. “We’re excited to showcase the stories of these six women and their significant impact within basketball as we continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX.”

NBC Sports is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX with 50 days of cross-platform content from June 4 – July 25, including Hardwood HERstory and In Their Court, an NBC News and NBC Sports original podcast exploring Title IX through the rich history of women’s basketball. Click here for more information on NBC Sports’ Title IX content.

Hardwood HERstory is available for download on all major podcast platforms, including: NBCSports.com/podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeart, and Pandora.

–NBC SPORTS–